Early Man (dir. Nick Park)

You only need certain elements in an Aardman animation to carry it home: a generous amount of slapstick, quick-fire gags, and the impeccably detailed stop-motion animation. As was demonstrated in one of their previous efforts, the Oscar-winning Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were Rabbit, these ingredients blended together to produce a delight for the whole family. Thankfully then, for director Nick Park - who commands the directorial chair for the first time on his own - their latest entry fits the mould superbly, even if it doesn't quite hold up to their previous efforts.

A unique selling point in Aardman animations like the "Shaun The Sheep Movie" and indeed the "Wallace and Gromit" films have been their innate Britishness, and it's true that they have always utilized their UK roots with trans-atlantic success. If there was ever any doubt that these films were made in England, than look no further than there sense of humor; often dry and witty, and always enriched with a satirical undercurrent. The same can be said for "Early Man", which is perhaps the only account of a British caveman's and the genesis of the game of football. It all sounds like it should be too much to handle, but its not - and though the popularity of soccer can only really be attested too in Europe (there might be a "lost in translation" style reaction when it hits theatre's stateside), theres enough here in the way of charm to suffice the usual family entertainment.

Opening with a incoming meteorite plummeting it's way toward earth, somewhere "near Manchester" becomes the backdrop. As dinosaurs are wiped out, a crater adorns the planet and becomes the backdrop during the prehistoric era. As the caveman learned how to make fire and use tools, they also learnt how to play the beautiful game. But years later, a group of rabbit-hunting stone-age caveman live in an insular society populated by refraining from the "badlands" - the adjacent surroundings of the planet populated by dormant volcanoes and eerie-looking mallards. Their community is led by Dug (Eddie Redmayne), a dopey looking teenage boy with aspirations far larger than his grasp and enough spunk and enthusiasm to fuel a rocket ship.

But there meager existence is tested, as is always the case, with the interruption of an oppresser. The dictator in this case is Lord Nooth (Tom Hiddleston), adorned with a deliciously ripe french accent - which wavours between Steve Martin's in the Pink Panther films and any policeman from "Allo Allo - the de-facto leader of a much more civilized group of stragglers on a mission to colonize and mine the widespread landscapes - including the valley with which Dug and his family currently reside. With the threat of enslavement on their horizon, Dug propositions Lord Nooth to a soccer match to settle their odds, as the bronze-age inhabitants regularly parade gladiatorial-style football matches in colosseum-like auditoriums as their main staple of public entertainment.

Aardman films have always sought their broad humor from their pun-related gags and their slapstick comedy. Though it must be said that certain set-pieces, mostly those involving the caveman's sheer ignorance at how to play football, bring the majority of the chuckles. you're unlikely to find yourself rolling in the aisles this time around. But herein lies the charm of "Early Man", despite the lack of humor, it's heart is in the right place, and so are it's messages. Whether or not Park and his genius cohorts meant for the film to be part allegorical toward Brexit-style sentiments is anyone's guess, but it all feels especially universal in relation to geographical boundaries and progressive in its representation of outsiders.

Supporting voices from Johnny Vegas, Rob Brydon and even the director Nick Park bring real warmth to the animation - especially during the times when the writing isn’t exactly up to snuff. It's always endearing to know that there’s a comedian with impeccable timing to follow the joke home. As the drama finds it's way into the final act, there's little more than the in-joke and occasional comical voiceover which will only resonate with European audiences to keep the drama going. But even though it might not have the charm or indeed the profundity of their greatest achievement in "Curse of The Were Rabbit", it's always engrossing to witness the sheer amount of detail put into the stop-motion animation, the love-able characters and of course, the innate Britishness.

Rating 3/5.